New to turkey hunting
02-19-2012, 08:59 AM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 2,186
Here's more advice from an old turkey hunter (been at it 50 +/- years). And worth every $.02 !!
As far as shot gun ? Your Savage SBS will do fine. I hunted with a Savage Model B SBS from about 1970 until about 2000. Killed a boat load of gobblers with this shotgun. Most of the Savage SBS's were Modified/Full. If yours is a 2 3/4" chamber as was mine, out to about 30-35 yards is a good rule of thumb as far as max effective distance. Again this will depend a great deal upon your pattern. Shot #4, #5 and #6 are all a good choice.
As far as clothing? Turkeys use their eyesight more than their hearing, but they will bust at a suspicious noise too. So I suggest a full cammo get-up, including covering your hands and face as much as is practical. And hide well.
Calls ? As a beginner, I suggest two ... a slate friction call and a box call. No need to spend a bunch of $$$ on calls. If you get into it like I have, that crazyness will come later !!! Some of the manufacturers offer a call "kit" at a reasonable price. Most contain a friction call, a box call and a "locator" call ... usually a "crow call". Gobblers on roost or on the ground will often "shock gobble" at about any loud noise. Imitating an owl at about day break is a great shock call technique to locate where a gobbler is roosting. A crow will work too. Once you have him located, no need to shock call again.
As already mentioned, usually both experienced and inexperienced turkey hunters tend to over call. Once a gobbler reacts to your call, he knows where you are. So take it easy.
As far as what hen sounds to learn? Three basics will do .... and can be made relatively easily with a friction or box call. They are the yelp, purr and cluck. Some of the makers will provide a instructional CD or DVD. Also tons of You-Tube stuff is out there to help you learn how to make these calls and what they sound like.
Finding turkey can be tricky. If you can locate a roost area, that is a great place to start. After the birds have gone to roost, and before dark ... be at the roost area and shock call. If they are there the Tom will gobble. Now you know where to start the next a.m. If that doesn't pan out, as is usually the case for me, head to where you have seen scratching, or poop, or feeding, or strutting signs or lots of tracks.
Good luck and let us know how your season goes.
As far as shot gun ? Your Savage SBS will do fine. I hunted with a Savage Model B SBS from about 1970 until about 2000. Killed a boat load of gobblers with this shotgun. Most of the Savage SBS's were Modified/Full. If yours is a 2 3/4" chamber as was mine, out to about 30-35 yards is a good rule of thumb as far as max effective distance. Again this will depend a great deal upon your pattern. Shot #4, #5 and #6 are all a good choice.
As far as clothing? Turkeys use their eyesight more than their hearing, but they will bust at a suspicious noise too. So I suggest a full cammo get-up, including covering your hands and face as much as is practical. And hide well.
Calls ? As a beginner, I suggest two ... a slate friction call and a box call. No need to spend a bunch of $$$ on calls. If you get into it like I have, that crazyness will come later !!! Some of the manufacturers offer a call "kit" at a reasonable price. Most contain a friction call, a box call and a "locator" call ... usually a "crow call". Gobblers on roost or on the ground will often "shock gobble" at about any loud noise. Imitating an owl at about day break is a great shock call technique to locate where a gobbler is roosting. A crow will work too. Once you have him located, no need to shock call again.
As already mentioned, usually both experienced and inexperienced turkey hunters tend to over call. Once a gobbler reacts to your call, he knows where you are. So take it easy.
As far as what hen sounds to learn? Three basics will do .... and can be made relatively easily with a friction or box call. They are the yelp, purr and cluck. Some of the makers will provide a instructional CD or DVD. Also tons of You-Tube stuff is out there to help you learn how to make these calls and what they sound like.
Finding turkey can be tricky. If you can locate a roost area, that is a great place to start. After the birds have gone to roost, and before dark ... be at the roost area and shock call. If they are there the Tom will gobble. Now you know where to start the next a.m. If that doesn't pan out, as is usually the case for me, head to where you have seen scratching, or poop, or feeding, or strutting signs or lots of tracks.
Good luck and let us know how your season goes.
02-19-2012, 09:36 AM
#12
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Tuscaloosa AL
Posts: 609
Here's more advice from an old turkey hunter (been at it 50 +/- years). And worth every $.02 !!
As far as shot gun ? Your Savage SBS will do fine. I hunted with a Savage Model B SBS from about 1970 until about 2000. Killed a boat load of gobblers with this shotgun. Most of the Savage SBS's were Modified/Full. If yours is a 2 3/4" chamber as was mine, out to about 30-35 yards is a good rule of thumb as far as max effective distance. Again this will depend a great deal upon your pattern. Shot #4, #5 and #6 are all a good choice.
As far as clothing? Turkeys use their eyesight more than their hearing, but they will bust at a suspicious noise too. So I suggest a full cammo get-up, including covering your hands and face as much as is practical. And hide well.
Calls ? As a beginner, I suggest two ... a slate friction call and a box call. No need to spend a bunch of $$$ on calls. If you get into it like I have, that crazyness will come later !!! Some of the manufacturers offer a call "kit" at a reasonable price. Most contain a friction call, a box call and a "locator" call ... usually a "crow call". Gobblers on roost or on the ground will often "shock gobble" at about any loud noise. Imitating an owl at about day break is a great shock call technique to locate where a gobbler is roosting. A crow will work too. Once you have him located, no need to shock call again.
As already mentioned, usually both experienced and inexperienced turkey hunters tend to over call. Once a gobbler reacts to your call, he knows where you are. So take it easy.
As far as what hen sounds to learn? Three basics will do .... and can be made relatively easily with a friction or box call. They are the yelp, purr and cluck. Some of the makers will provide a instructional CD or DVD. Also tons of You-Tube stuff is out there to help you learn how to make these calls and what they sound like.
Finding turkey can be tricky. If you can locate a roost area, that is a great place to start. After the birds have gone to roost, and before dark ... be at the roost area and shock call. If they are there the Tom will gobble. Now you know where to start the next a.m. If that doesn't pan out, as is usually the case for me, head to where you have seen scratching, or poop, or feeding, or strutting signs or lots of tracks.
Good luck and let us know how your season goes.
As far as shot gun ? Your Savage SBS will do fine. I hunted with a Savage Model B SBS from about 1970 until about 2000. Killed a boat load of gobblers with this shotgun. Most of the Savage SBS's were Modified/Full. If yours is a 2 3/4" chamber as was mine, out to about 30-35 yards is a good rule of thumb as far as max effective distance. Again this will depend a great deal upon your pattern. Shot #4, #5 and #6 are all a good choice.
As far as clothing? Turkeys use their eyesight more than their hearing, but they will bust at a suspicious noise too. So I suggest a full cammo get-up, including covering your hands and face as much as is practical. And hide well.
Calls ? As a beginner, I suggest two ... a slate friction call and a box call. No need to spend a bunch of $$$ on calls. If you get into it like I have, that crazyness will come later !!! Some of the manufacturers offer a call "kit" at a reasonable price. Most contain a friction call, a box call and a "locator" call ... usually a "crow call". Gobblers on roost or on the ground will often "shock gobble" at about any loud noise. Imitating an owl at about day break is a great shock call technique to locate where a gobbler is roosting. A crow will work too. Once you have him located, no need to shock call again.
As already mentioned, usually both experienced and inexperienced turkey hunters tend to over call. Once a gobbler reacts to your call, he knows where you are. So take it easy.
As far as what hen sounds to learn? Three basics will do .... and can be made relatively easily with a friction or box call. They are the yelp, purr and cluck. Some of the makers will provide a instructional CD or DVD. Also tons of You-Tube stuff is out there to help you learn how to make these calls and what they sound like.
Finding turkey can be tricky. If you can locate a roost area, that is a great place to start. After the birds have gone to roost, and before dark ... be at the roost area and shock call. If they are there the Tom will gobble. Now you know where to start the next a.m. If that doesn't pan out, as is usually the case for me, head to where you have seen scratching, or poop, or feeding, or strutting signs or lots of tracks.
Good luck and let us know how your season goes.
